Match of the Day: Sarah Hildebrandt and Whitney Conder wrestle for a spot on the 2016 World Team

Last Olympic cycle, United World Wrestling held a non-Olympic weight class World Championship. To be eligible to compete, competitors could not have wrestled in the 2016 Olympic Games.

The 2016 Bill Farrell Memorial acted as the World Team Trials for the 2016 World Championships for the U.S. Overall, there were six World Team spots up for grabs (two in each style).

In the best-of-three finals at 55 kg in women’s freestyle, Sarah Hildebrandt and Whitney Conder wrestled off for the World Team spot. At the time, Conder was a three-time Senior World Team member and Hildebrandt had yet to make a Senior World Team.

Hildebrandt went on to be the 53 kg World Team member in 2018, where she earned a World silver medal, and 2019. Conder was the World Team member at 50 kg both of those years.

Both wrestlers are aiming to make the 2020 Olympic Team at 50 kg. They wrestled off earlier this year for the opportunity to represent the U.S. at the Pan Am Olympic Qualifier in Ottawa, Canada. Hildebrandt won the wrestle-off and subsequently qualified the weight class for the United States.

Watch their 2016 matches below:

Match 1

Match 2